If you're anything like me, one television set simply wasn't going to cut it last night. From the Flyers to Sixers to Explorers to Hawks to Quakers to Wildcats, only a trip to Kulp's man cave was going to do Tuesday night's onslaught of action any justice.

Though the title above ignores Penn's 70-58 loss to Princeton, I plead for understanding—I was going for dramatic effect. Anyway, pettiness aside, last night was just a terrific night to be a basketball fan. Each game was replete with last second heroics, attempted buzzer beaters, overtime and, oh yeah, more overtime. Tournament recaps and previews for all our Big 5 boys after the jump...

Villanova Wildcats:

The last month has not been kind to the Wildcats, and last night's defeat at the hands of South Florida wrapped up a bad end to what has been thus far a disappointing season for the "Nation."

Okay, okay, I get it. You've been banged up. Yarou's bandage was a few inches from looking like an eye patch and the rest of the team has been fighting off nagging injuries for weeks. You're a lock for the big dance. Maybe you've even talked yourself into this early loss being a good thing. Maybe you're not worried.

Still, I'd be. They've fallen out of the Top 25; and, with the milieu of Big East teams headed to the tournament alongside the nosedive the 'Cats have taken over the last month, it isn't unthinkable to see Nova drop further down the bracket than their (unofficial) #27 ranking would otherwise put them if the committee just stacked teams in order. Reasonable prediction: 'Nova is ripe for 6-11/7-10 upset ouster. I look forward to your comments. On with the show...

La Salle Explorers:

The La Salle Explorers went and proved me (and a lot of other folks) wrong with their 75-73 double overtime win at St. Bonaventure last night. Though Dr G's squad started out hot with a 13-4 run, they would have to overcome two sizable deficits to qualify for the Boardwalk Hall rounds of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Down fourteen at the half and later trailing by seven with just 46 seconds remaining in the first period of overtime, La Salle found a way to press on and claim victory on a made Steve Weingarten 3-pointer in the waining moments of double OT. For more on the unlikely hero, check out this cool piece from the Inqy about Weingarten's story as a walk-on and coach Giannini's initial skepticism of his ability to play at the D-I level:

"It's an amazing story," said Giannini of Weingarten, who came to the Explorers in 2007 at Division III Connecticut College. "I swore to him that the chances of him ever playing or getting a scholarship were very slim."

Not found in that story is the tale of the oppositely high-touted, yet more highly-recruited Aaric Murray, who happened to let the Bonaventure chants of "Muurrrrrrraaaayyyy" get the best of him in the first extra session. The La Salle big man had been yapping at the officials all night before they finally gave up and issued an overtime technical. Truly stunning.

La Salle advances to Atlantic City where they will take on the #2-seeded Temple University Owls Friday night at 6:30 p.m. Keep reading/scrolling for an update on the Owls below.

Penn Quakers:

Things are unfortunately done for Penn fans after their loss to Princeton last evening. As such, there really isn't much to say here. What I will say is that Jerome Allen should commended for the job he did in turning this program around from the mess it was in when he took over.

I had the opportunity to see the Quakers play a few times this season. They gave my Owls a pretty good game back in January and defeated the St. Joseph's Hawks in a "this is our house" Palestra match up just a week later.

Losing Bernadini and Eggleston to graduation won't be easy, but another of year of Rosen at the point could mean good things. Personally, I'm pulling for Jerome. Plus, he rocks such sweet looks on the floor. Move over, Jay; your three-piece suit is starting to look a little dated.

St. Joseph's Hawks:

Speaking of dated, you can't tell me Phil Martelli wasn't positively ecstatic after his team's win over George Washington at the Smith Center last night. Phil's been facing a barrage of criticism all year to the point where it started to look a little morbid for his program's future.

The upside is that there is absolutely no question that the young team has talent. Jones, Galloway and Aiken are solid pieces to build around and should, hopefully for Phil, get the program heading back in the right direction.

As for last night, a win on the road over GW is nothing to scoff at. The Colonials, like the majority of A-10 teams, have a history of playing well in their own building. Freshman revelation Langston Galloway lead the way with 15, helping St. Joe advance to Atlantic City for a date with the #1-seed Xavier Musketeers #4 Duquesne Dukes (Thanks to commenter "Hone" for the correction. Forgot the tourney doesn't re-seed.)

Temple University Owls:

The Owls are enjoying some much deserved time off after two injuries have forced them to play an undersized seven-man rotation for the last three weeks.

Much like Villanova, the Owls should be a lock for the tournament. What could drastically change over the next week, however, is just where they will fall in the bracket. In an interview with W.H.I.P. Temple Student Radio last Thursday, ESPN bracketologist and local legend Joe Lunardi suggested that the Owls could wind up anywhere from #6-10 seed depending on their play this weekend. But, neither he nor Dick Jerardi believe the Owls have enough in the tank with only seven guys to rip off three wins in three days. With Scootie Randall more than likely unavailable and Michael Eric lost for the season, winning a fourth-straight A-10 title might be a little too much to ask for this group of Owls.

Still, they will take their first step toward that goal Friday night against La Salle, a rematch of the two teams' final regular season game in which the Owls won by out-of-character final score of 90-82.

I'm headed down to Atlantic City this weekend to cover the action. Check back over the next few days for live reports from the A-10 tourney. For any of you who are considering making the short trip over the bridge and down the expressway, Boardwalk Hall is such a spectacularly unique venue to watch a game. You won't be disappointed.